Duck breasts with curry passion fruit sauce

Duck breast with curry passion fruit sauce; mashed potatoes; butter-sauteed maitake and button mushrooms with ponzu (soy-citrus sauce); kabu (Japanese turnip) bulbs and greens sauteed in duck fat; and green pea soup with sour cream.

This was my first time cooking duck and I had no idea what to serve with it and how to present it (thus the super-crowded plate). Or how to cook it-- I actually bought the duck (frozen) 2 months ago but hadn't been able to find a recipe that looked good. And would be acceptable to my picky husband, who doesn't like fruit and overly sweet flavours with meat. I was also extremely nervous, which is silly because it was actually very easy to cook.

The duck turned out really well. The skin didn't crisp up as nicely as I'd hoped, but the flavour and texture of the meat was perfect. And the sauce was great-- I made it up myself, having given up finding a simple not-too-sweet-and-fruity recipe. I used a bit of the duck fat, wine (Ironstone Obsession Symphony, an off-dry white with incredible fruit and floral aromas and balanced acidity), soy sauce, passion fruit jam, and curry powder. It was just fabulous, but that is probably thanks mostly to the duck fat.

And boy was there ever a lot of it! The two duck breasts gave off over half a cup of the stuff, and I really I hope that discarding it down the sink didn't clog the drain.

Just kidding! Ha ha! I may be be new to duck cookery but I have gathered this much: the fat is precious and must never be thrown away. After sampling some tonight after it cooled down, I understand why: duck fat is magical. It is completely delicious, all by itself, and was magical in the sauce.

So now I have a little container of duck fat in the fridge, waiting to do its magic on some lucky dish. Roast potatoes, perhaps?

Comments

[Andy]

Stunning. Fantastic looking dish and recipe. The first thing I cooked when I got my Le Creuset Dutch oven was a confit of duck. It was delicious. And the fat was tremendously flavorful.

[Kat]

ooh, that looks wonderful!

[erina]

nice balanced meal!
it makes me want to try duck for the first time. does it have a strong "gamey" flavor though?

[Trig]

I like duck and it's always a great favourite with my dad. But the portion size! How many people share that plate? It looks like the mis en place for a small restaurant.

[darita0505]

Looks delicious!! I haven't had duck dishes for a really long time.

[junglegirl]

I think the fact that you didn't stint on the sheer volume of duck meat per portion (even just for the photo) is hilarious and very real. It is yummy. Have a lot.

[junglegirl]

I love your site by the way, I'm an American who lived in Tokyo for a year when I was 20 and a little too immature to make the most of it, but I still loved it and Japanese food is still my very favorite comfort food when it's cold and rainy out.

[Tanaka]

YUK!

I don't think specifying the part of the corpus you eat would make your blog more
sophisticated as a food blog.

That's way too much.

I think civilized human beings are not supposed to do such a thing.

That's my two yen.

[claytonian]

so was it roasted? Where did you get a duck anyways? Maybe I would have luck in Nagasaki's China-town...

[Chery;]

I really enjoy browsing through your pictures after trying to search for recipe on Ginger Milk Pudding!

You take beautiful pictures!

Where are you living now? I am a malaysian residing in Canada now (in St.John's!) And after one visit to Japan, I am totally in love with that country!

[Amy]

Wow, Andy- very ambitious. You've inspired me: if I ever get a Le Creuset dutch oven, duck confit will be the first thing I cook in it too!

Thank you Kat!

Erina, it has a slight gaminess to it, but I wouldn't call it strongly gamey. Definitely the taste is stronger than chicken, but in a good way. It actually tasted a lot like a steak! If you want to try duck for the first time, a good dish would be kamo nanban soba (hot soba noodles with duck breast) at a Japanese restaurant. The Japanese don't like any kind of gaminess and always prepare and serve game in ways that reduce the flavours.

Trig, that's my plate, and I served it that way just for the picture, planning to keep half for a salad tomorrow. But it was so good I went and finished it all!
Keep in mind though that it's on a small plate and is sliced very thinly. And the recipe said one breast (I mean half a breast, the portion in the picture) per person. What is a normal serving of duck breast?

Thank you Darita!

Junglegirl, thanks! Duck is a special food and it was my first time making it, so I guess I deserved a huge portion!

Tokyo certainly has a lot to take in, so don't feel too bad about your year here. Even after 11 years I still feel I'm not really making the most of my time here. And besides, how many 20 year olds make the most of their time ANYWHERE?

Tanaka, there's so much I could say, but I think it's better to just not bother. Except for this: congratulations on being the author of my weirdest comment ever.

Claytonian, it was pan-fried, I'll have to edit my post and add that fact. I bought it at an import grocery store called Nissin, which is my new favourite store. I think you can order duck from The Meat Guy. Never ordered from there but I've heard people rave about them.

Thank you Chery! I'm still in Tokyo, and I come from Toronto. I've never been to St. Johns- I bet it's really cold there right now! Also never been to Malaysia but I have a cousin who backpacked around the country and just loved it. I hope to go too someday.

[claytonian]

Thank you so much for telling me about this Meat Guy store!!

[Eve]

Hi again,

I posted the message below on Okinawa Day 5 (2006 07 19). I have no idea if you were able to see it. So I am resending it. I am Canadian also, living in a foreign country).

"Hi Blue Lotus (is that your name?) I found your site while I was trying to research Okinawan food. I am trying to understand about you. Are you married to a Japanese man and living in Japan? (Originally I thought you were a Canadian tourist in Japan, but as I read I realized that you must live there permanently?) In any case, I would really appreciate it if you could post the *kubu irichi* recipe (the one w/ in the pic, above). I admire you. You seem like an interesting person. When I look at your site (and some other people's) I ask myself: "Why don't I do that? (post pics, post recipes, commentary, etc. maybe reading your site will give me the impetus to start. I also like to cook, travel, etc.) In any case, I enjoyed reading and seeing your pics. It's like going to Japan w/out going. Really enjoyed seeing the ume forest. I buy these here and I always wondered what they looked like in their natural environment, out of the jar. I wondered if the Japanese ever eat them fresh and sweet (if they ever get sweet), or whether they only pickle them. This sounds all very awkward. I wish I could express myself better in writing. I like your site and I will return. (I am not sure if you will receive this message since the date on this is 2006. I hope you do.

Regards,

Eve"